The meaning of traditional dishes of countries celebrating Tet with Vietnam

(Baonghean.vn) - Like Vietnam, Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday of the year in many Asian countries. Lunar New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, bringing hopes for good luck and fortune. However, each country has its own unique culinary culture for Tet.

1. China

Chinese civilization is the origin of the East Asian Lunar New Year and China is currently the country that celebrates the Lunar New Year the most in the world. During the traditional New Year, Chinese families prepare dumplings, so this can be considered an indispensable "national dish" during the traditional Chinese New Year.

Dumplings - The "national dish" of the Chinese people. Photo from the internet

Dumplings are a symbol of luck and wealth, the dumplings are shaped to look like ancient Chinese coins. Chinese people eat dumplings at the beginning of the year to wish for a year of wealth, hoping for a bright future.

Dumplings are made quite elaborately with the filling consisting of mixed vegetables and minced meat. While cooking dumplings, Chinese people believe that cold water must be added three times, implying "blessings go and then come again". After the dumplings are cooked, they will be served in the first two bowls as offerings, the first bowl to worship ancestors, the second bowl to worship gods in the world and starting with the third bowl, the family can eat.

2. Singapore

The traditional dish during Singapore's Lunar New Year is called Yu Sheng. Photo from the internet

Yu Sheng is a salad with the main ingredients being raw salmon and shredded vegetables. Yu Sheng includes many types of shredded vegetables of different colors with different meanings: carrots for prosperity, cucumbers for eternal youth, adding oil on top of the ingredients implies increasing luck and wealth. The variety of colors of the dish helps Malays believe in a bright new year with lots of luck.

Yu Sheng – a colorful fish salad that brings luck to Singaporeans. Photo from the internet

When enjoying Yu Sheng, the diners will stir the ingredients as high as possible, not letting them fall out, then shout “Lohei – this word means to mix well, it is also homophonous with the word Prosperity. Malays serve Yu Sheng and do not forget to put red envelopes next to it.

3. South Korea

Koreans also have the custom of celebrating Lunar New Year like in Vietnam, the new year officially begins on the 1st of the first lunar month, the Korean New Year is called Seolla. During Seolla, Koreans believe that food must be prepared by the family members themselves to offer to the ancestral altar to bring good fortune.

Ttok-kuk soup – traditional dish for Seolla. Photo from internet

Korean New Year's dishes are very rich with more than 20 dishes, including Ttok-kuk - a dish made from rice water, rice cakes and mung beans. Ttok-kuk means "increase in spring", Koreans believe that on the first day of the new year, if they eat a bowl of Ttok-kuk, they will be one year older because they believe that when they become one year older, it is at the end of the old year, not after their birthday like other places.

4. Mongolia

In Mongolia, the Lunar New Year is called the White Month Festival (locally known as Tsagaan Sar). In this vast steppe country, sheep outnumber people. Most Mongolian New Year dishes are made from sheep's milk and roast lamb is always on the table.

A Mongolian Lunar New Year banquet table. Photo from the internet

In addition, there are dairy products, buuz (like dumplings), beef, goat's milk, rice eaten with curds; or rice eaten with raisins, horse meat, buuz, fermented horse's milk or vodka mixed with milk.

5. Vietnam

Vietnamese Tet Nguyen Dan begins on the 1st of the first lunar month, and is the biggest holiday of the year. On this occasion, Banh Chung and Banh Day are the most typical and characteristic cakes of the traditional Vietnamese Tet holiday. These cakes are closely associated with long-standing national legends and have profound meanings about the universe.

The square, green Banh Chung symbolizes the Earth, Yin. The round, white Banh Day symbolizes the Sky, Yang, representing the philosophy of Yin and Yang, the Book of Changes, and Eastern Dialectics in general and the Square and Round philosophy of Vietnam in particular.

Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) is for Mother, banh day (round glutinous rice cake) is for Father. Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) is the most solemn and noble food to worship ancestors, expressing the gratitude for drinking water and remembering the source, the great and immense upbringing of parents. Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) is a cake that Prince Lang Lieu of the 16th Hung King created to express gratitude to his ancestors and the land.

Banh chung and banh tet are indispensable items during Vietnamese Tet holiday. Photo from internet

The main ingredient of Banh Chung is sticky rice, emphasizing the importance of rice and nature in the rice culture. In addition, there are green beans, pork, and dong leaves, which are wrapped in squares and boiled. The cake is very fragrant, soft, and green with the green color of the leaves.

In addition, the Vietnamese Tet tray also has many typical dishes such as pickled onions, radishes, carrots soaked in fish sauce, sugar... to eat with other dishes during Tet; chicken, braised pork in the North and braised pork with duck eggs in the South.

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